1974 135hp Outer Exhaust Casing.

Hi uys, got a problem which may be an easy one for a more experienced mechanic. Trying to remove the casing above. Got the 6 long bolts out on the left & right and removed two at rear, had o cut he head off the two at front end of casing but still unable to remove. looks like something is still bolted at front of casing but I don't see anything and diagram not showing anything.

Are you speaking of the long exhaust housing that's located between the powerhead and the lower unit?

That's correct, the OUTER casing, not the inner one that looks to be bolted directly on the power head, I assume he outer casing can just e slid off, I need to view one of the cooling tubes which I have inadvertently pushed up when trying to re-fit the lower unit

Unfortunately you are mistaken and that's one hellava job! There's no such thing as a slide off component/housing.

You need to remove the lower unit to get the shift rod out of the way... and also the powerhead and the hood pan needs to be removed. Then unbolt the top motor mount along with the two side lower motor mounts. That will release the exhaust housing from the steering bracket, after which you can remove the adapter plate to get at the water tubes. That will leave you with the bare exhaust housing.

I would suggest that you first try to pull that water tube down (it can be done) by using a small pair of vice grips and a long pry to help straighten the bent portion of the tube. It's a PITA job but I've done that successfully a few times.

Ok as much as I suspected!!!!!! I will try your suggestion, I guess if it went up it should come down, I will keep you posted. One has to wonder though, why is it bolted onto the power head? Thanks for your help so far, much appreciated.

As a suggestion, after removing the lower unit and powerhead and top M/Mount (leaving the bottom mounts in place), you can then remove the adapter plate with it's water tubes... if this is the route you intend to take, saving a little time.

However, hopefully you can pull the tube downwards with small vice grips and long nose pliers and cancel all that work.

Remove the small shield just under the hood pan and you'll see why that long housing is bolted to the powerhead. Think about it.... the lower unit is attached to that housing. If not attached to the powerhead, there would be a lot of wobbling going on.

OK, Will try the vice grips, I just do not know enough about his engine to feel confident about doing anything with the power head, the tube has only gone up about 10mm, maybe I should live with it! Thoughts?

Take the time to measure very carefully just where the bottom of that water tube must be in order to be fully inserted in the water tube grommet. I've straightened out a few tubes as what you've encountered. Correcting the roundness of the tube when at the right height/length is pretty easily done with long nose pliers.

If that's a two (2) tube pump setup, there should be two nylon guides that set in the water pump flanges, one guide slightly longer than the other so that one tube can be aligned at a time. Note that they have a habit of vibrating up the tube and becoming lodged there with corrosion.

If this is your setup, look closely up the tubes with a strong flashlight. If they're there, use somehting with a hook on it to yank them down so as to avoid a repeat of the problem.

I think I managed to bring it down a few mm, anyway I re-assembled the engine and test ran it on land, then for 90 min on the water, everything worked great. Your input was very useful and much appreciated, I will work on that part of the engine with confidence in the future. Parts are not easy to find in Australia unfortunately, and difficult and expensive to get from the US. Thanks again.

I understand the problem you have as I've shipped a few parts to that area. Glad to hear that you managed to get your rig underway.